The Best Coyote Gun

Finding the best coyote gun is an impossible task. There doesn’t yet exist the perfect weapon for slaying song dogs in every situation. Debates will rage on about what’s the best caliber, the best loads, and of course the best way to hunt coyotes! This list is not complete, it’s intention is to compare the current varmint rifles available on the market. It’s meant to help you in your research in finding the right gun for you.

There are thousands of rifles that can be used for predators. I understand that by limiting this list to varmint, predator, and coyote rifles that I am leaving a lot of good rifles off the list. Without setting a parameter to only focus on these models, I would spend a lifetime comparing models. If there is a gun you think is missing or that is a new release, please paste the link into the comment section below. If you are a custom rifle maker or gun builder and would like to be included in this list, please comment with your contact information and I will respond from there (your contact information will not be visible to others).

.204 Ruger Coyote Rifles

“The .204 Ruger is a centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Hornady and Ruger. The 204 Ruger was developed from the .222 Remington Magnum, which has the second largest case capacity in the family that began with the .222 Remington. To make the 204 Ruger, the 222 Remington Magnum case was necked down to .204 inches (5 mm) and shoulder moved forward and angle increased to 30 degrees.

The .204 Ruger has proven to be a very accurate and efficient cartridge: an early tester reported 1/2 MOA groups at 100 yards (91 m) with the Hornady loads and a Ruger #1 Varmint rifle. The .204 Ruger was intended primarily for varmint rifles, which require bullets with flat trajectories but not much mass or kinetic energy. The .204 was “splitting the difference” between the popular .224 varmint rounds such as the .220 Swift and .22-250 Remington, and the tiny .172 caliber rounds such as the .17 Remington and the .17 HMR. The resulting cartridge provides somewhat higher velocities than any of these, giving a maximum point blank range of more than 270 yards (250 m).”1

.204 Ruger AR-15 Rifles

A major benefit of the .204 platform is the ability to build an AR-15 in the .204 caliber. There aren’t many companies making a .204 designed for varmints and predators, but the list includes some options.Rock River Arms LAR-15M Varmint A4

.220 Swift Coyote Rifles

“The 220 Swift was the first factory loaded rifle cartridge with a muzzle velocity of over 4,000 ft/s (1,200 m/s). The .220 Swift remains the fastest commercial cartridge in the world, with a published velocity of 4,665 ft/s (1,422 m/s) using a 29 grain bullet and 42 grains of 3031 powder.

The Swift is a large cased .224 caliber cartridge and bullet that was created for small game such as prairie dogs, groundhogs and other vermin (or “varmints” in the US) such as marmots. Upon its introduction it astounded the varmint hunting world by being fully 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s) faster than its nearest competitor, which was the .22 Hornet (also .224 caliber). It was found to be an extremely accurate cartridge as well.

Due to its very high velocity its bullet drop allows dead on sighting on game such as groundhogs to ranges out to 375 yd (343 m), and it is still considered an excellent cartridge for taking varmints by experienced Swift shooters.

The Swift’s high-velocity performance comes at a price, because the high velocities and high internal firing temperatures accelerate chamber and bore wear. Modern metallurgy and cryogenic treatment have vastly improved barrel life with the .220 Swift and other 4,000 ft/s (1,200 m/s) cartridges, although weapons firing these cartridges still usually require rechambering or rebarreling much sooner than those firing lower-velocity cartridges such as the .222 Remington and the .223 Remington.2

.222 Remington Coyote Rifles

The .222 Remington, which is also known as the Triple Deuce/Triple Two/Treble Two is a centerfire rifle cartridge. Introduced in 1950, it was the first commercial rimless .22 (5.56 mm) cartridge made in the United States. As such, it was an entirely new design, without a parent case. The .222 Remington was a popular target cartridge from its introduction until the mid-1970s and still enjoys a reputation for inherent accuracy. It remains a popular vermin or “varmint” cartridge at short and medium ranges with preferred bullet weights of 40-55 grains and muzzle velocities from 3000-3500 fps.

While the .222 Remington is rarely found in current production in America, its derivative cartridges are among the most popular in the world. In addition to the .222 Magnum and .223 Remington, the .222 has also served as the parent case for the .221 Fireball, the fastest production handgun cartridge.3

.222 Remington Varmint Rifles

Popular manufacturers of the .222 Remington in a Predator/Varmint model.

.223 Remington Coyote Rifles

This is the most popular caliber across all varmint rifle manufacturers. It’s a tried and trued caliber for hunting coyotes. This cartridge was designed for military use, and access to ammunition make this an inexpensive round to purchase factory ammunition as well as reloading. The AR-15 Platform has made the .223 caliber an extremely desirable round for coyotes. Having the ability to use a semi-automatic rifle allows for quicker follow up shots. Not many manufacturers are taking advantage of this platform and the desire for hunters to create a predator model. This list has a few popular varmint AR-15’s on the market.

“The .223 Rem was first offered to the civilian sporting market in December 1963 in the Remington 760 rifle. In 1964 the .223 Rem cartridge was adopted for use in the Colt M16 rifle which became an alternate standard rifle of the U.S. Army. The military version of the cartridge uses a 55 gr full metal jacket boattail design and was designated M193. In 1980 NATO modified the .223 Remington into a new design which is designated 5.56×45mm NATO type SS109.”4

22 Nosler AR Coyote Rifles

“The 22 Nosler is a 22 (.224″) caliber, rebated-rim centerfire rifle cartridge designed by Nosler. The 22 Nosler is a SAAMI approved and standardized cartridge. It is the fifth cartridge designed by Nosler. It is claimed that the 22 Nosler delivers 25% more energy and is nearly 300 fps faster than a .223 Remington/ 5.56 NATO. This cartridge is designed to use the existing bolt face of an AR-15, and conversions to this caliber can be accomplished with a simple upper receiver swap. The case diameter and taper resemble those of the 6.8mm Remington SPC, so Nosler recommends using a magazine designed for that cartridge. While similar to the 6.8SPC in some regards, there is no parent case and the 22 Nosler cannot be formed from 6.8SPC brass.”5

22 Nosler Varmint Rifles

.22-250 Remington Coyote Rifles

“The .22-250 Remington is a very high-velocity (capable of reaching over 4000 feet per second), short action, .22 caliber rifle cartridge primarily used for varmint hunting and small game hunting, though it finds occasional use on deer. This cartridge is also sometimes known as the .22 Varminter or the .22 Wotkyns Original Swift. Along with the .220 Swift, the .22-250 was one of the high-velocity .22 caliber cartridges that developed a reputation for remote wounding effects known as hydrostatic shock in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

The .22-250 started life as a wildcat cartridge developed from the .250 Savage case necked down to take a .224 caliber bullet. In the early days of the cartridge there were several different versions that varied only slightly from one to the next, including one developed in 1937 by Grosvenor Wotkyns, J.E. Gebby and J.B. Smith who named their version the 22 Varminter.

The .22-250 is similar to, but was outperformed by the larger .220 Swift cartridge. However, it is in much wider use and has a larger variety of commercially available factory ammunition than the Swift. This makes it generally cheaper to shoot. The smaller powder load also contributes to more economical shooting if a person is doing their own reloads. Despite common myths regarding longer barrel life on a 22-250 vs the Swift or other calibers, that is directly related to shooter habits, allowing the barrel to cool between volleys and the speed of the bullet, an important factor for high-volume shooters. Both the Swift and the 22-250 shoot at very similar velocities and bullet weights so barrel wear when used and cooled equally is identical between the two calibers. Due to its rimless case the 22-250 also feeds from a box magazine with ease.

The .22-250 is currently the fastest production cartridge, surpassing the .204 Ruger. This round is loaded by Hornady under their Superformance line and is a 35 grain, non-toxic, fragmenting varmint bullet at 4450 feet per second (1356 m/s) from a 26″ barrel. The .223 WSSM is loaded to 4700 fps (1432 m/s) by Monolithic Munitions, but this is a custom loading by a specialty shop, not by a major manufacturer.”6

.22-250 Remington Coyote Rifles

Popular manufacturers of the .22-250 Remington in a Predator/Varmint model.

.243 Winchester Coyote Rifles

The .243 Winchester (6×52mm) is a popular sporting rifle cartridge. Initially designed as a target/varmint round, it may be used for animals such as coyote, blacktail deer, whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, and wild hogs. It can also be used against larger animals such as black bear or elk but is sometimes said to be “too light” for such large animals. Rounds of at least 90 grains are better suited for hunting larger animals while rounds less than 90 grains are more suitable for varmints. The .243 is based on a necked down .308 cartridge case. It is very popular with target shooters, Metallic Silhouette, and long range shooters, because of its accuracy and low recoil.

This cartridge was first introduced in 1955 for the Winchester Model 70 bolt-action and Model 88 lever-action sporting rifles and quickly gained popularity among sportsmen worldwide. Just about every major manufacturer offers rifles chambered in .243.

It was a ground-breaking development of the day, combining a very useful combination of lightweight (70 to 85 grain) bullets optimized for long-range performance for varmint hunters (groundhogs, coyotes, prairie dogs) and 90 to 105-grain bullets suitable for the game up to the size of deer and pronghorn antelope. Its predecessor in the Winchester lineup, the very similar .257 Roberts, could have easily been selected to accomplish the same tasks, but was not available factory loaded with either lighter, varmint-weight pills or pointed, long range spitzer (pointed) bullets, so it never achieved the popularity of the newer round.

The .243 produces a velocity of 2,960 feet (902.21 m) per second with a 100-grain (6.6 gram) projectile from a 24-inch (610 mm) barrel. Commercially loaded .243 ammunition is available with bullet weight ranging from 55 grains (3.6 g) up to 115 grains (6.8 g). Twist rate of the barrel is the major deciding factor in which bullets to use, 1:10 being the most popular as it is sufficient to stabilize up to 100-gr. bullets. However, for VLD (very low drag)-profile and bullets heavier than 100 grs., a 1:8 or 1:7 (for 115-gr. VLD bullets) is necessary.7

.243 Winchester Varmint Rifles

Popular manufacturers of the .243 Winchester in a Predator/Varmint model.

.260 Remington

The .260 Remington (also known as 6.5-08 A-Square) cartridge was introduced by Remington in 1997. Many wildcat cartridges based on the .308 Winchester case had existed for years before Remington standardized this round. Although loaded to higher pressures, the ballistics of this cartridge are basically similar to the 6.5×55mm when bullet weights do not exceed 140 grains. When loaded with heavier bullets, the 6.5×55mm is capable of greater velocity. Due to its shorter overall length the .260 Remington can be chambered in a shorter length action than the 6.5×55mm.

Because 6.5 mm (.264″) bullets have relatively high ballistic coefficients, the .260 Remington has seen success in rifle competition including bench rest, Metallic Silhouette and long range. It is capable of duplicating the trajectory of the .300 Winchester Magnum while generating significantly lower recoil. Also, converting a rifle chambered for the .308 Winchester (or any of its offspring, such as the 6.5 Creedmoor, .243 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington or .338 Federal) to .260 Remington generally requires little more than a simple barrel change.

Loaded with lighter bullets, the .260 Remington can be used as an effective varmint or a small predator hunting cartridge for use against such species as marmots, woodchucks, bobcats and coyotes. Bullets chosen for these species should be designed to open rapidly unless harvesting of the pelt is the objective. FMJ or other non-expanding bullets can be used if the latter is the case.8

.260 Remington Varmint Rifles

Popular manufacturers of the .260 Remington in a Predator/Varmint model.

6.5 Creedmoor Coyote Rifles

The 6.5mm Creedmoor, also called the 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5 CM for short, is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced by Hornady in 2007 as a modification of the .30 TC, which was based on the .300 Savage. It was designed specifically for rifle target shooting, although it is also achieving success in game hunting. Bullet for bullet, the 6.5mm Creedmoor achieves a slower muzzle velocity than longer cartridges such as the 6.5-284 Norma or magnum cartridges such as the 6.5mm Remington Magnum. However, due to its 2.825 inches (71.8 mm) overall length, it is capable of being chambered in short-action bolt action rifles and AR-10 semi-automatic rifles.

6.5 mm (.264″) bullets, in general, are known for their relatively high sectional density and ballistic coefficients, and have seen success in rifle competition. For some loads the 6.5mm Creedmoor is capable of duplicating the muzzle velocity or trajectory of the .300 Winchester Magnum while generating significantly lower recoil, based on lighter projectile weight. As this cartridge is designed for a bolt face diameter of .473 inches (roughly 12 mm), conversion of a short action rifle to another caliber (such as the .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester or .300 Savage) with similar bolt face diameter generally requires little more than a simple barrel change.9

6.5 Creedmoor Varmint Rifles

Popular manufacturers of the 6.5 Creedmoor in a Predator/Varmint model.

I think the name of the game is efficiently killing varmints. 17hmr isn’t much more impressive,if any in my opinion, than a 22mag., look it up. not enough gun and not enough range. 17 may work for you up til now but would definitely upgrade to a real rifle.

If you include the .260 or 6mm Creed and the 6.5 Creed, then why didn’t you mention the 6.5 grendel. It’s a .264 just like the others and a bit less expensive to shoot with still awesome knock down power as the others .

I own a Ruger M77 Mark II Varminter in a .204 .22-250 & .223 and each with a 24″ bull barrel. These are not mentioned and have to the best of all. They are heavy guns for stability, low recoil and absolutely beautifully built and reliable. Retails around $850

Hi, I’m gun dumb…but have a coyote problem. Does the rifle have to be a predator or varmint version to kill coyotes? I’m just wanting something cheap and easy to use. A guy at the gun store told me to get the HMR 17 but it sounds like that’s wrong? Any suggestions for me and do I need a scope? What do I aim for when trying to hit the coyotes?

It doesn’t have to be a varmint or predator rifle by name. I had to limit my list or else there would be literally hundreds of options. I would probably recommend a .204 Ruger, doesn’t kick a drop. You’ll need a scope, and you want to aim for the front shoulder area if they are broadside, and chest area if facing you.

If you have a coyote problem, all you really need is something that YOU are comfortable with and have available. After reading the previous article I realized the out of all of my varmint guns my .22 revolver has downed the most coyote because it’s always there.

Economically speaking a 223 would be ur best option because ammo is cheap and easy to find plus it still gets up to 2500fps it’s a good round for slingen lead at yotes out to about 400 yards plus the 223 gun is cheap. Then I’d recommend Burris or vortex brand for ur optic , they have cheaper scopes and best part is they have a no questions asked replacement lifetime warranty

Why are Americans so obsessed with killing. Here we have an beautiful animal that help keep mice and Rat population under control. Dont even eat them so thats not a good excuse. Admit you like killing.
Shameful. But you have right so it’s acceptable. All lived matter

coyotes over breed and kill off the deer population, and will come into residentual areas and attack and kill domestic pets, they are a general pain in the ass, if you knew anything about the outdoors and wildlife you never would have made such a stupid comment treehugger!

Over population due to lack of predation leads to starvation, a slow way to die! hunting is not about the kill to most hunters! Everything you eat is killed by something. Hunters choose to understand the food chain and be personally responsible for their roles in it. If that’s from harvest of meat for food or population control of predators.

The coyote population around me pert near qualifies them as rats. Small game numbers, like rabbits,hares,grouse, and even turkey numbers are down these last few years. Some nites I have a pack screaming within 15 yards of the house. Some times you hunt for purposes other than table fare. I want to preserve some of my favorite menu items.

Yup you are absolutely right we love killing or it’s called population control? Ever heard of it?? They roam around in suburban neighborhoods killing people’s pets n if I small enough child is left in attended they would snatch one up in a heartbeat

On average a coyote has 72 pups per year. They have attacked me and my dog out walking in a subdivision. They took two jack Russel dogs at 3 pm in the back yard with a 3 year old boy was playing, if not for the dogs, who know what would of happened to the child. Colorado.

A coyote only has pups once a year, feral hogs might be what you’re thinking, they have litters all year round. A coyote litter will vary from 5 to 12 pups on average. They breed and reproduce in the spring.

I have a dilemma. I have a custom built 6.5 x 55 MM Sweede on a thumbhole laminated stock with a Mauser 98 BRNO receiver that I can sustain 1 moa or less with a 140 gr varmint boolit. Equipped with a scope it weighs about 11 pounds. Then I also have a .223 Remington caliber CZ 527 FS bolt rifle with a small Leupold scope. It weighs a lot less than the 6.5 Sweede. It also does not reach out as far with power as the sweede but it is very easy to handle, carry, shoot and it is quite accurate out to 175 yds.

My backup handgun will be a Ruger Blackhawk in 327 FED Mag with an eight shot cylinder and a 5.5″ bbl.

Though the .17 HMR was not included in the comparison (understandably so being a rimfire) but the .17 hornet should absolutely have been included. This is not a 75 yard pest gun. It easily reaches out beyond 250+ yards with a nasty impact. My preference is the Ruger m77 but even the Savage walker would have been a good contender.

I may add it, it just takes a lot of research and time. I’m only including the rifles with a “varmint,” “predator,” or “coyote” designation. I haven’t looked around to see what varmint models are out there.

I have a Remington 700 VLS in the .22-250 Rem caliber. I reload 55gr. VMAX in front of 40 grains of H380.
It will vaporize a coyote at 300 yards. I use a Vortex 6.5x-20x scope’. Here in Ohio, coyotes will kill anything-chickens, fawn, pets you name it. We shoot them on sight.

In my opinon my ideal coyote rifle would be .25-06 bolt action with a 26″ barrel matched
with the right scope and bipod, you could sit and snipe the bastards all you want, is that caliber
to old? I would of thought with the range,speed, and knock down power it would be ideal, and with
the right bullet you could still have a beautiful pelt depending on time of year.
Any comment on the .25-06 would be very helpful.

Scott, I am also very surprised that the 25-06 is not included in the list. I’ve had 3 different guns in that caliber or the last 55 years, a Rem 700 bld, a Win. 70 and the one I have now been using over about the last 30 years a Browning 78 with a 26 inch medium barrel. All 3 of these guns were shooting sub .7 inch groups at 250 yards, with the Browning shooting sub .5 inch groups. All 3 guns preferred full power loads of 54.5 gr. of IMR 4831 behind a 100 grain Sierra SPBT at 3440 (mean average-Browning 78) FPS through a Oehler chronograph. The browning is topped with a Hawke 6-24 sidewinder scope. Over the years I’ve used quite a few of the regular calibers listed but have always come back to the 25-06 because of it’s flat shooting long range accuracy and remaining energy. I’ve shot coyotes fairly regularly out to 600 yards and a few beyond that. Loaded with the 100 gr. sierra SPBT it’s excellent for varmints and the same load behind a 100 gr. Nosler partion, is excellent for deer sized etc. animals pretty well out to about 500 yards. But Scott I also think I have to agree that the 25-06 is probably not listed because it’s not a modern (read NEW) cartridge. It’s unfortunate that the assumption is that some new caliber is better. But then that’s what sells guns, isn’t it. Just as an aside; I’ve got guns that range from the lowly 22 up to the Win. 458 mag., with many in between. If I could have only one gun; it would be the 25-06. or else the 7MM Rem mag., as the velocities for both are the same; but the 7MM is not legal to use where I live.